WARNING: CONTAINS DISTRESSING CONTENT
Police are investigating after a van driver allegedly ran over a family of ducklings as they attempted to cross the road.
Staffordshire Police confirmed it is investigating claims a male motorist ‘crushed’ a mother and her ducklings in Trentham, Stoke-on-Trent, last Friday (20 May).
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A witness called Steven Walley shared a photo of the van on Facebook, along with another image of the birds, saying the incident made him feel ‘unbelievably angry’.
Walley, 43, said he had a ‘heated exchange’ with the van driver after seeing what happened.
He explained in his post: "I've just been driving on the A34 at Trentham Gardens roundabout when a family of seven ducklings were crossing the road. All three lanes of traffic had stopped. There was a mother duck and six or seven ducklings.
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"I was in the middle lane. [They] passed my car and as they started to walk in front of a white van that was stopped to my right, the driver sped off and crushed three of them. He would only have had to wait a couple more seconds to let them cross.
"I felt sick. I was just unbelievably angry - I was livid. It was just so unnecessary. Everyone had stopped and they were going across nicely."
Walley, who is a Tory councillor in Stone, Staffordshire, said he wanted to get the driver's number plate so he could report him.
"I followed him up the A34 and gestured to him that I was going to call the police," he said, adding that the van driver then pulled over in a layby.
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He continued: "We had a heated exchange. He claimed he thought they had crossed but how could he if he hadn't seen them emerge? He said to me, 'I don't f****** care'.
"He was in his early to mid-50s and had a Northern accent. No one can say whether he did it on purpose but he didn't take enough care to stop it happening."
Staffordshire Police confirmed it was looking into claims, saying in an earlier statement: "We are aware of a post circulating of a van driver who is believed to have killed ducklings in Trentham.
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"We have made contact with the author of the post and are establishing potential offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
"We understand this is an emotive issue for many people and we ask please that you do not take matters into your own hands.”
In an update to LADbible, Staffordshire Police said a man has now been interviewed in connection with the incident.
The force said: "A 61-year-old man from Stoke-on-Trent has been voluntarily interviewed.
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"Enquiries are on-going."
Jess Hardiman